Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Blossom Twig Heart Frame… with a twist in the middle
- 15 February 2023
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Choose a blossoming twig with a fork in its branch...
The best branch is one that you can already see would easily be woven into a heart shape without too much effort and manipulation required.
Twist and weave the twigs together to make a strong weave. Don't secure the twigs into position, I just want it to naturally enhance the heart shape without being a heart shaped wreath.
Do the same with the other side of the twigs.
Fold fishing line in half...
Loop over the two sides of twigs to shape the heart. Place the line loop behind the place where the twigs meet with the ends of the line dangling up.
Pull the loop back below the twigs and slip the two dangling lines through the loop.
Book readers turn to page 57 where I show you how to make an overhand knot with ripped foliage.... this can be a great all natural, zero waste alternative to the mechanics used in this design.
For more information about my book:
The Effortless Floral Craftsman
Thread the lines through the loop and pull tight to secure the twig ends.
Extend the dangling ends down to the branch and pull on it to allow the heart to be more rounded at the side.
Design note: if you want the heart shape to dry this way, simply keep the line in place until the water has evaporated from the vase. By then the twigs should be dried and the shape permanently set in place.
Tie the one end of the line to the one side branch in the fork.
Tie the other end of the line to the other side of the twig fork to secure.
Knot the line ends together to make sure it won't slip and cut the dangling line short.
Undo a few of the twigs... I wanted the effect of the The Heart with Arrow look... so I left a strong twig pointing outwards.
Place the twig heart in a bud vase filled with water.
And now... have a good look at how your flower sits on the stem. This is so important when it comes to placing the flower. I have added a few tips in this week's email for you. You are welcome to write to me if you have comments or questions...or to say hi. Simply reply to the email. The sign up is below this post if you want join. I send out an email every Wednesday morning.
Twist the line inside the heart to make a small gap...
Like this ...
So that the anthurium flower stem is held upright exactly where you want it to be.
Add in a green vine.
And to finish the Heart with Arrow look, adjust the vine so that you have a tendril on, that mirrors the blossom twig on the other side of the heart...
Carefully extend the curled tendril to the side to stretch the spiral so that it matches the other side of the "arrow".
And adjust the tendrils so that it looks like it grew up and around the curve of the heart.
Drawing your eye towards the flower.
With the heart shaped anthurium perfectly framed inside.
Add in a few dew drop crystals to finish the design.
See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how... and why I use a pin to position the tiny glued crystals.
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Tutorials
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
Most stems, twigs and even sturdier branches can be bend into shapes. It takes practice and more than a bit of patience. The main idea is to slowly manipulate the branch without...
For my design I wanted the wreath to look wind blown so I added a few loosely woven twigs into the weave. I also wanted to emphasize the autumn colours so I added a twirling...
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Favourite Flowers
Anthurium, Tailflower, painters palette, Flamingo flower
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